One of Mrs. Allen's bay windows stood open. Between the ivies,
tuberoses, and lilies, you caught a glimpse of gilded walls and rare
paintings. Better than all, you saw four young faces looking out at a
snow storm; Dotty with eyes like living diamonds, Prudy fair and sweet,
Horace lordly and wise; and the little one "with dove's eyes" following
every motion of his head, as if she were a sunflower, and he the sun.

"Please shut the window, quick, Horace; the plants will freeze," said
Prudy, drawing in her powdered head.

"Things don't freeze in cloudy weather, Prue; but you children will
catch cold; so here goes."

"Droll birds they would be," said Aunt Madge. "That reminds me of an old
riddle, children,

"'White bird featherless
Flew out of Paradise,
Lit on the castle wall;
Came a knight breathless,
Ate it up toothless,
Rode away horseless.'"

"Why, auntie, the 'bird featherless' must have been the snow; but who
was the knight!"

"Who rides over the sky without any horse, Dotty, and melts snow by
shining on it?"

"O, the sun the sun!"

"Hollis, I want to ask you sumpin. Does those snow specks fly down out
o' heaven? Does the little angels see 'em?"

"No, Topknot; they only come from the clouds; they are nowhere near up
to the little angels."

"Not half so near as you are, Goldilocks," said Aunt Madge, brushing
back the child's soft hair.

"I hope you don't mean Fly's going to die," cried Dotty, in sudden
alarm, remembering how crossly she had spoken to the child two or three
times since they had been in New York.

"No, Dotty; I only mean that we are told, in the Bible, there are
'ministering spirits,' and we believe they watch over good little
children."

"O, my shole!" said Fly, folding her tiny hands, and raising her eyes to
the top of the window. "Nice, pretty little spirricks out there, only
but I can't see 'em."

"No, Miss Eyebright; not even you. Wait till you go where they live."

"Wisht I could go up there now, a visiting; stay all night, and three
weeks and then "

"Hush, Fly Clifford; you're the wickedest girl to talk," said Dotty. "I
shouldn't ever expect to go to heaven at all, if I said such things as
you do. O, auntie, I am so sorry it storms! Maria and her mother won't
come will they?"

Maria Brooks was a little blind girl with whom the family were just
making acquaintance. A few days before, when she was walking Broadway,
led by her "freckled doggie," Fly, lost on the street, had spied her,
and been attracted by the dog, and Maria had persuaded the child to go
home with her. Afterwards Mrs. Brooks had taken Fly back to Colonel
Allen's; and in this way Aunt Madge had learned about Maria's blindness,
and had offered to take her to a physician who could help her, if any
one could.

"Yes, Dotty; I presume they will come to day, for Maria can hardly wait
to have the doctor look at her eyes."